Study on Tuberculosis Treatment and Drug Resistance Testing in a Tertiary Care Center in Central India

Abstract

National TB Elimination Program (NTEP) in India has planned for free of cost diagnosis and treatment for tuberculosis (TB) patients. This study is carried out to find out the deficiencies in treatment prescribed by practitioners, whether they were as per NTEP guidelines or not, and to assess the use of cartridge-based nucleic acid amplification test (CBNAAT) by practitioners for the detection of rifampicin resistance as per the current guidelines. Aims and objectives: This study was conducted to see the deficiencies in treatment prescribed by practitioners, whether they were as per NTEP guidelines or not, and to assess the use of CBNAAT by practitioners for the detection of rifampicin resistance as per the current guidelines. Materials and methods: The doctor’s prescription of a total of 199 patients who visited the outpatient department (OPD) were assessed, and data was collected as per inclusion and exclusion criteria. Results: Out of the total 199 prescriptions, 83.4% of patients were prescribed antitubercular treatment (ATT) under directly observed treatment short course (DOTS), while in the remaining 16.6% of patients non-DOTS ATT [57% prescribed fixed dosage combination (FDC) and 43% prescribed individual drug] were prescribed by practitioners. CBNAAT was prescribed by only 52.8% of practitioners for TB diagnosis and drug resistance. Conclusion: The method of prescribing non-DOTS ATT prescription drugs was not as per NTEP guidelines, and CBNAAT prescription was also less.